Hoops were worn in Ancient Egypt, as depicted on this ostrica of a dancer from 1200 BC, and fresco from the Tomb of Nakht, 1400 BC.
A Minoan woman picks saffron flowers in a fresco from Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece, 17th century BC.
Art Nouveau allures me with its melancholy and intricacy. Natural forms are recognizable, but with a sensual variation. Lines and shapes are pulled and tense, yet flowing.
As anyone who grew up in two cultures will understand, to design based solely on tradition would leave a part of me out. I wanted to be on the ancient hoop continuum, but the traditional rounded forms had to be pulled and given sleek edges - a nod to the past with an inoffensive challenge to tradition.
‘The Climax’ and ‘The Peacock Skirt’, Aubrey Beardsley, 1893.
Artem hoops remind me of the center of a peacock feather. They remind me of my cultural mash-up. They put me on the timeline of the ancients, but in a place that is distinctly modern.